India batter Shubman Gill has come under the scanner for another dismal outing in red-ball cricket. The right-hander got out after scoring only 23 in India’s first innings of the opening Test against England in Hyderabad on Friday (January 26).
Gill did a good job to bat till stumps on Day 1 and also survived the difficult first half hour on the second day. However, he threw away his wicket while attempting to swat debutant English spinner Tom Hartley through mid-wicket.
Shubman’s dismissal drew sharp criticism from the legendary India spinner Anil Kumble, who also pointed out a major flaw in the young batter’s technique.
Citing the examples of Cheteshwar Pujara and Rahul Dravid, Kumble urged India’s current No. 3 to play spin with soft hands and improve his strike rotation.
"Un par dabaav badhta gaya aur vo strike rotate nahi kar paaye (The pressure kept on growing and he couldn't rotate strike. He will have to learn this. If he wants to bat at No. 3, especially on Indian tracks where spinners will cause trouble, he will have to rotate strikes,” Kumble said on Sports 18 while speaking during the lunch break on Day 2.
“Even when he came out to bat yesterday, he took his time as you don't want to lose your wicket. He got stuck today as well. Wanted to play the release shot against the turn, which i don't think was the ideal shot. If he has to slot in that no. 3 role like Pujara or Dravid, he will have to rotate strike. He needs to play spin with soft hands and use his wrist. This is something he needs to add to his game," he added.
Notably, Shubman Gill is yet to leave a big mark in the longest format of the game. Before this game, he represented India in 20 Tests, scoring 1040 runs at an average of 30.59 with two hundreds and four half-centuries.
Shubman started his Test career as an opener but after Pujara’s ouster from the side, he has been batting at No. 3 for India. Gill registered scores of 2, 26, 36 and 10 in the recently held two-Test series in South Africa. Overall, he has scored 189 runs from nine Test innings at one down with the best score of 47.
